By Eddie Quezada, News Channel 3 Reporter
equezada@kesq.com

PALM SPRINGS - A thirty-second advertisement advocating gay marriage will run during the upcoming Miss California USA pageant.

"This is a spot about two women who are deprived of marriage now," says George Zander with Equality California, the state's largest lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender advocacy group. The ad features a lesbian couple and their daughter talking about the freedom to marry.

"It's a wonderful moment where people can realize the pain and suffering of people who aren't able to marry and they're raising a family, paying taxes and they're now denied marriage which a lot of people in California, LGBT people in California get already," Zander says."When Carrie answered her question on stage, she answered from her heart, but many people were hurt by the answer and felt alienated from the process of California," pageant director Keith Lewis said.

The push stems after controversy from last year's national Miss USA pageant when former Miss California, Carrie Prejean, spoke out against same-sex marriage.

In the past, Equality California invited the former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, to speak with organizers about marriage equality, she did not respond. Pageant officials also offered her the opportunity to run a pre-taped message on the upcoming show. She declined that offer.

"She has many other issues right now that are going on right now and I think that she wanted to take care of those right at the moment," Lewis said.

Pageant officials say it is not their policy to take a stand on either side of the issue. The pageant will air Sunday, November 22nd.